title: The contribution of perfusion scintigraphy in the evaluation of children suffering from recurrent localized pneumonia.
abstract: The value of perfusion scintigraphy as a screening test for children who have suffered from several episodes of recurrent localized pneumonia was evaluated in 32 patients aged 1-15 years. Perfusion studies were carried out using macroaggregated albumin (MAA) labeled with technetium 99m. In 9 patients (28%), large lobar or multisegmental perfusion defects were demonstrated. Their final diagnoses proved to be bronchiectasis (5 patients), bronchomalacia (2 cases), agenesis of a lobe (1 subject), and lobar sequestration (1 patient). In 23 children (72%), the perfusion scintigraphic patterns were normal or diffusely nonhomogeneous. All of these patients improved clinically on a 1- to 2.9-year follow-up. We conclude that a normal perfusion scintigraphy is a useful screening test for excluding structural lung abnormalities in pediatric patients with recurrent localized pneumonia. Children showing a pattern of lobar or multisegmental perfusion defects should be further investigated to rule out structural abnormalities as an underlying cause of disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Lady Davis Carmel Hospital, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hardoff
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rivlin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Front
mesh_terms: D001987:Bronchiectasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012008:Recurrence; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; D014692:Ventilation-Perfusion Ratio / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin